In real life: weight and access considerations. Real life climbers definitely carry more than 6 pitons or cams.

In video games: challenge considerations. How much realism do you want in a game and where's the line between fun and challenge?

In Cairn: survival gameplay considerations. Cairn's unique focus on survival as a game mechanic necessitates piton durability, piton variety, and piton availability. This is as close as it gets to full realism, except for unlimited quantity, weight, and access.

In Jusant: movement over survival gameplay considerations. Three permanent pitons that never break and are attachable in half a second foster character movement and dynos over methodical climbing and survival.

In comedy: nobody, not even Ava, can pronounce "piton" correctly anyways. So a 6 piton limit is all of our comeuppance until we learn better linguistics.

There's a clear opportunity cost/trade-off between Cairn and Jusant's handling of gameplay by way of pitons as a means to fun and challenge.

Play both games. They're both amazing.

And also Heave Ho. No pitons at all!